Bithlo

Right now, Florida is rife with gun talk. In the wake of the Connecticut school shootings, lawmakers have rushed out proposals to do everything from clamping down on guns to suggesting we need more guns on school grounds. That second proposal —...

Drive east on State Road 50 past Alafaya Trail, cross the Econ River and you come to the geographic butt of Central Florida jokes. But how many have actually seen the heart of Bithlo for themselves? If they did, they'd know it's no laughing matter....

There are so many altruistic efforts going on this time of year that I thought I'd open up a forum for you, the readers, to offer notes of appreciation to individuals and groups that are doing good deeds. I thought I'd kick it off with hugs to three...

President Barack Obama easily carried Orange County, the key to the I-4 corridor, which was key the swing state of Florida, by carving a powerful “V” for victory out of the county's middle. A Political Pulse look at voting patterns on a map of...

Last year, Bithlo hosted a back-to school fair that brought a range of resources and services to the impoverished community, complete with the big draw that ensures children show up: free backpacks. This year, Florida Hospital teamed up with community...

One of the nice things about an election year — especially when a politician is in a competitive race — is that it doesn't take long for a citizen's complaint to get some attention. No sooner did residents of Bithlo complain in the Sentinel...

What we're dubbing “The Battle of Bithlo Bridge” is really starting to heat up. Who knew that an activist's complaint that a bridge on S.R. 50 is too narrow to accommodate pedestrians and cyclists would become the issue du jour of the...

U.S. Rep. John Mica toured the rural community of Bithlo Friday and left pledging to help with a pair of transportation issues. Mica said he used to represent the area years ago, but with the recent re-drawing of congressional boundaries, he could end...

Late last year, Orange County Mayor Teresa Jacobs promised Bithlo residents on well water that the county would pay for tests there to check for contamination. Today Jacobs kept that promise and visited some of the 55 or so homes that have already...

Woody Rodriguez, attorney for the Orange County School Board, has sent us a long e-mail defending the School Board's use of a “straw ballot” last Thursday to pretty much decide who would be new superintendent of schools.  As we detailed in our...

As part of an effort to transform the Bithlo community, Florida Hospital's emergency doctors group, Florida Emergency Physicians, has donated new bicycles to students at Orange County Academy, a private school aimed at low-income students. The students...

Frustrated Orange County commissioners directed staff Tuesday to step-up efforts to find a suitable site for a homeless drop-in center on the east side of the county, but appeared to keep the idea of building one on an alternate site in Bithlo as a fall-...